Flexible fluid container



NOV. 28, 1933. KlLcUP 1,937,387

FLEXIBLE FLUID CONTAINER Filed March 20, 1933 Patented Nov. 28, 1933 Ytime em-Es- P TEN -F* f 1 corporation of-Rhode Island Application ath20, 1933. Serial N6. 61,702 7 ..2 Claims. (Gr m-+258) Q My presentinvention relates to flexible fluid containers which are appliedexternally for the relief. ofpain and discomfortand hasparticularreference to improvements in the construction.

.of hot water bottles and the like. r

The use of flexible water bottles as a medium for the externalapplication of heat and cold to the body has entailed certaindifficulties; the

standard type water bottle has a tendency to .maintain a convex exteriorand thus to contact the body for a limited area only, and is more-""invention to provide a flexible fluid container that change. a

type of water bottles resides in the ease with over. easily displaced asresult of slight movements of the body because of the relatively smallarea of contact'and the high center of gravity.

Various bottle constructions have been devised "to more closely fit thebody parts, but these have not proven satisfactory, as a contour for ahot water bottle that will fit one portion, such as the back, will notfit another portion having different curvatures. It is the principalobject of my .of the surface renders the container unstable and topheavy when placed on the body, and requires the addition of towels andthe like for holding the container in close contact to the body. It is afurther object of my invention to provide a .fiuid containerconstruction that resists the 'ad- "dition of excess fluid, and that sodistributes the fluid in the container when the container is applied tothe body, as to lower the center of gravity of the container and obtaina concave effect substantially conforming to the convexity "'of the bodyportion to which the container is applied.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, theinvention consists .of a novel arrangement of parts more fully describedin the detailed description following, when considered in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawing, and more specifically defined.

in the claims appended thereto.

In the drawing: Fig. l is a plan view of the novel water bottle,

and

Fig. 2 is a section on'the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, the water bottle 10 is preferablyof the samegeneral shape as the standard type, and includes a filling inlet 11equipped with the usual metallic screw stopper, the container alsohaving the customary end tabs 12 and 13 provided with the usual openings14 and 15. The body 16 of the container differs, from standard typeconstruction, however, by including acentrally disposed section lLpref-ierably of inverted V form as shown, of sheet or plate construction; thewater containing portion therefore includes an upper hollow portion 18and two depending hollow leg portions 19, 20, the sectional form ofthese legs being indicated in Fig. 2. If desired, the sides of the legportions may be equipped with strap receiving ears 21. The generalarrangement may be characterized as including a hollow U shape portionfor containing liquid, the legs of the U being joined by an integralflexible intermediate solid section which is preferably of inverted Vshape.

Preferably, the novel water container has rounded ends as indicated inFig. 2 to increase the volume of liquid in the two leg portions and tobring the capacity of the container up to the desired standard. Thedescribed construction limits bulging and thus resists addition ofexcess liquid, and ensures filling of the container with the mostsatisfactory quantity of hot or cold water. When the container isproperly filled, the outer surface presents two convex surfaces at thelower end with a large intermediate concave area, the concave areaprogressively decreasing in width to the upper end of the section 17,when the remaining surface becomes convex. The filled container thusprovides changing contours which selectively fit substantially all bodycontours, and which increase the contact area so asto bringsubstantially the entire surface of the container into snug engagementwith the body. Since the portion 1'7, which has no water therein, ismaintained at the same temperature as the two leg portions by conductionof heat or cold therefrom, the novel construction provides an effectivefitting arrangement having large contact area and uniform, temperature.

Moreover, the use of a flexible thin center section 17 provides anatural dividing line for permitting bending and flexing of the two legportions, whereby the upper portion becomes a reservoir for maintaininga liquid content for the leg portions; the novel construction thusflexes the leg portions around the body part the container is appliedto, and lowers the center of the gravity of the container as a whole tofit the body" part and to resist displacement therefrom. A naturalcenter of repose is thus provided around which the water carrying partsmold themselves to the body shape, to extend the engaging area andresist shifting and displacement.

It is therefore evident that the described construction provides aflexible fluid container which yields when placed on a body part andmolds itself to snugly engage the body part, the flexing and moldingbringing the water carrying portions downwardly so as to obtain amaximum contact and so as to strongly resist displacement.

While I have described a specific constructional embodiment suitable forfluid containers in general and hot water bags in particular, the sameprinciples apply to flexible containers for air, as for example aircushions. The standard type of air cushion is of ring or annularformation, and the tubular sections do not snugly fit the body of theuser. The air cushion, according to my invention, is preferably U-shapedwith a flexible intermediate member of preferably solid construction,whereby the weight of the user produces a resilient give of theintermediate member and a resultant pull on the tubular air sections,the air cushion thus fitting in a better and more comfortable manner.

I If found desirable, changes in the relative proportion of the parts,in the length and shape of the central solid section, and in capacityand shape of the liquid holding portions, may be made to suit therequirements for fluid containers such as hot water bottles, hot waterbags, surgical bags, and the like, within the spirit and the scope ofthe invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:--

1. In a water container of flexible material, spaced compartments havingtheir adjacent sides inclined towards each other and merging to providea common upper compartment, the inclined sides of the spacedcompartments being joined by, a fiat web, whereby the surroundingportion of. the container when filled provides a convex bulge around thetop and sides of the web.

2. In a water container of flexible material, spaced compartments havingtheir adjacent sides inclined towards'each other and merging to providea common upper compartment, the inclined sides of the spacedcompartments being joined by a flat web, integral with the sides,whereby the surrounding portion of the container when filled provides aconvex bulge around the top and sides of the web.

ERNEST I. KILCUP.

